James Collett (1842 - 1893)

Born 1842 in Willersey, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1893 at about age 51 in Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michelle Collett [send private message]

Biography

James Collett was born at Willersey in 1842, with his birth also recorded at Evesham (Ref. xviii 15) during the second quarter of that year. He was baptised at Willersey on 26th May 1842, the son of James and Mary (Ingles) Collett, and was just over one year old when his brother William Ingles died. He was seven years old in the Willersey census of 1851, and 18 years, ten years later when he was still living there with his parents. He was working as an agricultural labourer. Three years later, the marriage of James Collett and Elizabeth (Warmington) was recorded at Stratford-on-Avon (Ref. 6d 147) during the third quarter of 1864. Elizabeth was born at Bidford, Warwickshire and, once married, the couple settled in the Gloucestershire village of Aston Subedge two miles north-east of Willersey. By the time of the next census in 1871, the couple already had three children who had been born there. Agricultural labourer James from Willersey was 28, his wife Elizabeth from Bidford was 26, and their three Aston Subedge born children were Mary Ann Collett who was five, James who was three and Harry who was one years old. On that day, the Collett family was staying at the home of Ann Ainge, the grandmother-in-law of James Collett. Ann was a widowed aged 86 and from Didbrook in Gloucestershire, and was the tollgate keeper.

Four more children were added to the family during the next decade, three of them while they were still living at Aston Subedge. Around 1878 the family left Aston Subedge and moved two miles to Mickleton where the seventh child was born. In 1881 the census that year recorded the family living at Pauls House in Mickleton, from where James Collett, aged 38 and from Willersey, was again working as an agricultural labourer. His wife Elizabeth was 36, and their seven children were Mary Ann Collett aged 15 who was helping her mother at home, scholars James aged 13, Harry aged 11, Kate who was nine, Fanny who was seven, and Hubert who was five. The latest arrival, William Collett (my ancestor) was two years old, with all of his older siblings confirmed as having been born at Aston Subedge. Sadly for the family that same year, the death of Elizabeth Collett was recorded at Shipton-on-Stour (Ref. 6d 161) during the third quarter of 1881, when she was still only 36 years old.

Elizabeth Collett died during the 1880s and by 1891 widower James Collett of Willersey was 48 and employed as a shepherd who was still living in Mickleton with his eldest daughter Mary Ann aged 25 who was acting as his housekeeper, and his two sons James aged 23, and William who was 12. Living nearby in the same census registration district of Shipton-on-Stour & Blockley were two more of James’ children, they being Harry and Fanny. It was just under two years after that census day, when the death of James Collett was recorded at Shipton-on-Stour (Ref. 6d 333) during the first quarter of 1893, when he was 50 years old. It should be noted that more than one of his children gave their place of birth as Campden or Chipping Campden in the later census records, rather than Aston Subedge.

Sources

• England & Wales births 1837-2006
• England & Wales marriages 1837-2005
• 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census
• 1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census
• 1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census
• England & Wales deaths 1837-2007
• http://www.collettfamilyhistory.net/Part-57-The-Bakers-of-Abbots-Morton-in-Worcestershire-Line-Rev.10.htm Appendix 2.